Jan Oblak puts Atletico Madrid ahead of Inter

Atletico Madrid 2024 jersey went into the second leg of their Champions League tie against Inter trailing by a goal, knowing that their season depended on reaching the quarter-finals. Opposite them was arguably the most in-form team in Europe. Yet Diego Simeone’s team showed unfailing determination throughout the two-and-a-half-hour match.

In the first half, Atletico pushed forward and put themselves in danger without ever creating any clear-cut chances. Meanwhile, Cheap Inter Milan jersey was content to draw Atlético on to him and try to get the better of him. It worked a little after the half-hour mark, when Denzel Dumfries was released down the right, but could only force an excellent save from Jan Oblak. At the other end, Federico Dimarco took advantage of Nicolo Barella’s overrun following a flowing move in the team’s half.

Atletico didn’t wait long to hit back. After Koke Resurreccion had sought out Antoine Griezmann on the edge of the area, the ball was cleared poorly by Francesco Acerbi, collided with Stefan de Vrij and passed into the hands of Antoine Griezmann, who marked his comeback with a goal just three minutes after Inter had opened the scoring.

In the second half, Atletico showed their superiority, creating two golden opportunities which were squandered by Alvaro Morata and Griezmann on balls in from the right. Memphis Depay and Angel Correa came on and Memphis missed the first chance from close range, before hitting the inside of the post with a thunderous shot.

At the other end, Inter remained dangerous. Barella and Marcus Thuram both had chances to score, but Oblak made comfortable saves in the face of a defense that was more focused on them than on Inter’s forwards.

Just as Atletico seemed to be running out of time, Koke found Memphis on the inside of the Inter defence, on the edge of the box. He just skimmed the ball and fired into the top corner, testing the vocal chords of an already deafening Metropolitano. In the final seconds, griezmann Atletico Madrid jersey continued to push forward and Griezmann found Rodrigo Riquelme on the penalty spot for the winning goal, but it flew over.

Extra time began and the exchanges continued in much the same way. Thuram had one last chance, but his header went wide, and Memphis forced Yann Sommer into a fine point-blank save. Griezmann, only just recovered from a three-week absence, came off at half-time in extra time, allowing Inter to advance down the field. They were unable to find the net, however, and the match went to penalties.

At the decisive moment, Jan Oblak rose to the occasion. He denied Alexis Sanchez and Davy Klaassen, while Saul Niguez was denied by Sommer. However, Lautaro Martinez’s final penalty went wide, ensuring Atlético’s 3-2 victory in the shoot-out. Simeone showed a mixture of exhaustion and satisfaction as Atlético, propelled by determination, ambition and the exploits of Oblak, eliminated last year’s finalists.